1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage unit, and, more particularly, to a storage unit having storage compartments, which allow food to be received in and taken out of the compartments through a rear face thereof as well as a front face thereof, and which includes a top table slidably placed on a top surface of a cabinet thereof, to allow containers, such as bottles and cups, containing wine, beverage, etc., to be placed thereon, thus enabling a user to conveniently locate the wine, beverage, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a conventional refrigerator, which is adapted to be used in a home, is fixedly installed at a location near to a kitchen or another proper location, to freshly store refrigerated and frozen food. The conventional refrigerator includes a cabinet, vertically elongated, with a pair of doors hingedly coupled to a front face of the cabinet to open and close storage compartments defined in the cabinet, thereby allowing food to be received in the storage compartments.
Since the refrigerator is manufactured to have a large internal volume capable of storing a large amount of food all at once, the refrigerator has a considerable weight. Therefore, it is difficult to relocate the refrigerator after installation. Additionally, the refrigerator has a high electric power consumption, and thus is costly to operate.
Since a refrigerator is manufactured to store more various food therein, to add variety to what a user consumes, it may be very inconvenient to take out a desired food of the refrigerator, and it is impossible to store various food in respective storage temperatures. Accordingly, to store various food, such as Kimchi and wine, in respective optimum conditions, separate storage units have to be used.
In addition, since most people have busy daily lives, the user usually stores various instant food and cooked food in a refrigerator, to reduce a time to prepare food. Accordingly, since a large amount of food is closely contained in storage compartments of the refrigerator, it is more difficult to conveniently and quickly put a desired food in the refrigerator and take a desired food out of the refrigerator.
Generally, food and beverage, such as Kimchi, beer, and wine, which are commonly enjoyed by a user at a mealtime and other times, are frequently removed from the refrigerator. However, since the conventional refrigerator is fixedly installed at a specific location, and constructed to allow food to be put in and taken from only one side thereof, it is inconvenient to use the refrigerator. Furthermore, since leakage of cool air in the refrigerator is increased due to the frequent opening and closing operations of a door, electric power consumption is inevitably increased, to maintain a temperature in the refrigerator at a predetermined temperature.
In particular, the conventional refrigerator is inadequate to permit a user to instantly take out food, such as wine, which has to be separately stored in a specific storage temperature. In addition, when such favorite food is stored together with another type of food, it is impossible to maintain the inherent and pleasant taste of the favorite food, and it is inconvenient to put food in the refrigerator and to take out food of the refrigerator.
More specifically, beverages, such as wine, can conserve the quality when the wine is stored within a temperature range of 11° C. to 17° C. Accordingly, when wine is stored together with another type of food or beverage in the conventional refrigerator, it is impossible not only to store only the wine in a separate specific temperature, but also to extemporarily take out the wine from the refrigerator while using a top surface of the refrigerator as a table.